MLB

Yasiel Puig just had the best pre-game warm up of his life ... 'cause just a few hours before the Indians game against the Red Sox -- he got sworn in as a U.S. citizen!!!

The MLB superstar had the ceremony Wednesday ... and it didn't take long for him to pridefully post about it on social media.

"Thank you God for this great opportunity to be an American citizen," Puig said ... adding, "ususus."

Puig reportedly unsuccessfully tried to defect to America many times ... and when he did make it in summer 2012, the journey was long and treacherous.

He was taken by small boat to Mexico where he was held hostage by smugglers looking for a big money payout from the future MLB star.

Yasiel was ultimately taken to America ... and now 7 years later, he's a US citizen.

The Indians -- who are set for first pitch against Boston in Cleveland at 10 AM PT -- even shouted out the outfielder after the special moment, writing, "Puig our citizen"

"Congratulations to Yasiel Puig becoming a United States citizen!"

Of course, Indians players have done this often over the past year ... relief pitcher Oliver Perez was sworn in earlier this month, while infielders Carlos Santana and Hanley Ramirez had their ceremonies in April.

Bryce Harper is NOT a bust ... and his $330 MILLION contract WILL pay off for the Phillies -- so says Philadelphia superfan Miles Teller!!!

"I think it's a good investment!"

Of course, Harper has been a disappointment for the Phils since inking a 13-year contract this offseason ... he's batting just .248 with 22 home runs.

But, Teller -- who's been a die-hard Phillies supporter since he was kid -- didn't seem too concerned about the outfielder when we got him out in Bev Hills this week, saying he believes Harper will bounce back, eventually.

"He'll be with the Phillies for, what, 13 years?" the "Whiplash" actor says ... "So, I think, you know, it's one of 13."

Philadelphia is certainly hoping Harper can still salvage this year ... the team is just two games out of the Wild Card race in the National League!!

And, if Harper can't put it all together and the Phils don't make the playoffs -- Teller tellls us he'll be understanding.

"Sports are hard, man."

#Truth

Scary moment for NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman ... Connecticut cops had their guns pointed straight at him during a traffic stop last week -- and the terrifying incident was caught on video.

52-year-old Cashman was stopped in Darien, Connecticut last Friday after cops mistakenly thought he had stolen the Jeep he was driving.

The police footage from the incident is intense ... officers pointed firearms at the Yanks exec and screamed at him to get out of the car and slowly move toward them.

Eventually, cops realized Cashman did NOT, in fact, steal his own car ... and the situation was diffused.

But, before officers let Cashman go, they had a funny interaction with the guy -- recognizing him as the Yankees' personnel man!!

"You look very familiar to me," the cop says ...

“I’m the GM of the New York Yankees,” Cashman responds.

“Yeah, I know,” the cop replies ... “I used to see you at Brook Street Bagels when I was an Eastchester cop. I apologize for the embarrassment."

Cashman was free to go after that.

The backstory behind the stop is wild ... Cashman had his Jeep stolen in Connecticut a few weeks ago, and after it was found in the Bronx and returned to Cashman -- he drove it back to Connecticut to have it processed for evidence.

But, Cashman says cops forgot to take the car off the stolen list when they returned it ... and when Darien cops ran his license plate, it still came up as a stolen vehicle.

To make matters worse, Cashman says Darien police were already looking for a white Jeep after a man driving that car had allegedly brandished a gun in a local doctor's office.

Everything has since calmed down for the GM ... and he says he has no hard feelings for police after the wild scene.

Alex Rodriguez had HALF A MILLION DOLLARS worth of stuff stolen from his rental car while he was in San Francisco broadcasting a Giants-Phillies game ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us the MLB legend -- who was in town for his ESPN gig as a baseball color commentator -- had his rented SUV broken into just a few blocks from Oracle Park on Sunday.

We're told the burglary happened around 10 PM ... and the thieves made off with $500,000 worth of electronics and jewelry.

Rodriguez had been at the stadium nearly the entire day ... he and his ESPN crew called the Giants' 9-6 win over Philadelphia on "Sunday Night Baseball."

Law enforcement sources tell us they've made the case a high priority ... with investigators working overnight to collect evidence.

We've reached out to Rodriguez for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Lenny Dykstra is fighting Bagel Boss Guy ... yes, the baseball legend inked a deal to box the guy who lost his mind in a NY bagel shop.

We broke the story, Bagel Boss Guy -- aka Chris Morgan -- signed a deal to fight in Damon Feldman's Celebrity Boxing promotion ... only question was, who was he gonna fight?

Now we know ... 56-year-old 3x-MLB All-Star and World Series champ Lenny Dykstra.

We're told Lenny agreed to a deal and signed the contract on Friday (he'll be paid a fixed amount of money for the fight) ... and will begin training immediately for the September 7 bout in Atlantic City, NJ.

Sources close to Lenny tell us he ain't worried about the lack of time to prepare ... and is very confident he's gonna beat the hell outta BB Guy.

If he does ... it won't be cause Bagel Boss ain't training hard for the scrap.

Morgan recently went to one of the best MMA gyms in the country ... and training with UFC superstars Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman.

In fact, Iaquinta told us Morgan possessed some natural ability as a fighter.

Dykstra vs. Bagel Boss.

Giancarlo Stanton is 6 foot 4 inches and 250 pounds of hulking, baseball-smashing man ... and Tiffany Haddish says she wants EVERY. SINGLE. BIT. OF. HIM!!!!!

"That's what I'm talking about," Haddish says of the Yankees star outfielder ... "Somebody to burp me!!!"

Haddish has professed her love for the MLB stud before ... but she REALLY took her desire to get with Giancarlo a step further Wednesday night on the 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert.'

In fact, the "Girls Trip" actress developed a sneaky plan to get Stanton interested in her ... telling Stephen Colbert she's just going to start telling everyone they're dating -- like, speaking it into existence.

"Like, the world will know that I like this person. I will know that I like this person. And then, it'll be in his subconscious. And then, he will attract me to him!"

Haddish's obsession with Stanton seems pretty real ... 'cause when Colbert told her about the home run hitter's famous physique -- she got graphic!!!

"I just want him to pick me up and go like this," Tiffany said, pretending to burp a baby ... "'It's going to be OKAY. It's going to be OKAY. Shh. Shh. Shh.'"

Bad news for Tiffany, Stanton's been rumored to be dating model Chase Carter.

White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease had no time to celebrate his win against the Tigers on Tuesday .... 'cause he had to make a mad dash for Starbucks IN FULL UNIFORM!!

The Sox are playing a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers ... and the team sent their winning starting pitcher to get them some drinks to recharge at a nearby Starbs in Motor City.

Catcher James McCann caught the whole thing on video ... saying Cease had to make 17 orders to complete the run.

It's become a thing for MLB teams to show up to the coffee joint in full uniform lately ... Chicago Cubs star Javy Baez pulled up before a game back in June.

23-year-old Cease made his debut for Chicago last month ... so we take it the rook is still getting through his initiation phase with the squad.

This is EPIC!!!

23-year-old Miami Marlins rookie Isan Diaz's dad had the most priceless reaction to his son's first career hit in his first career MLB game ... going absolutely BONKERS when he hit a dinger!!

Raul was being interviewed during Diaz's at-bat in the 6th inning of the Marlins game against the Mets on Monday ... when the 2nd baseman went yard off Jacob deGrom!!

The whole family goes absolutely insane -- there's yelling, clapping and hand shakes all around!!

After things calmed back down a bit, mom and dad get back to the interview and talk about how proud they are of their son ... but the best part is when Raul freaks out about the moment happening against the Mets ace.

Despite working for the NY Yankees these days ... even Carlos Beltran had to admit the Houston Astros CRUSHED the MLB treadline -- telling TMZ Sports he loved the Zack Greinke pickup!

"I mean, Greinke's one of the best pitchers in the game," Beltran says.

Of course, Carlos did have two stints as an Astro during his 20-year MLB career ... but the 42-year-old now works as an adviser to Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

But, Beltran just had to put work allegiances aside when our camera guy asked about the league's trade deadline moves ... saying the Astros are going to be VERY tough to beat now.

"They have three starting guys over there that are No. 1 on any team in baseball."

Beltran ain't kidding, the two favorites for the AL Cy Young this year are Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander ... and with a 2.90 ERA and 135 Ks, Greinke was a leader for the award in the NL before the trade.

David Wells says Marshawn Lynch is dead wrong for cussing at kids during his football camp last month ... telling TMZ Sports, "You gotta be more a little more professional than that."

We broke the story, Marshawn was out at his Fam 1st Family camp in the Seattle area on July 28 ... when several kids -- some as young as 9 years old -- broke down crying because he swore at them while making them run laps.

In video obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear Marshawn admitting to using the f-word and the n-word toward the kids in an intense confrontation with some of their parents.

When we got Wells out in NYC over the weekend ... the ex-MLB great told us the whole ordeal wasn't cool -- saying Lynch should watch his language around kids so young.

"You're trying to set an example, right?" Wells said ... "You don't use that around kids -- you gotta be more a little more professional than that."

Wells says he practices what he preaches ... saying if he catches his owns kids cursing -- he washes out their mouths with a bar of soap.

As for when he thinks it's appropriate to cuss -- Wells says that bar starts somewhere in the teenage years.

What. In. The. Actual. Hell.

The Miami Marlins CROSSED THE LINE in a stupid Twitter spat with the Tampa Bay Rays ... saying, "YOU'RE LITERALLY THE ANIMAL THAT KILLED STEVE IRWIN."

Dude. Really?!!?!?

So, why the hell would a Major League Baseball team invoke the name of a global treasure who was tragically killed by a real-life stingray in 2006???

Here's the backstory ...

The Marlins played the Rays on Saturday -- and even though Miami lost, they posted a highlight showing right fielder Brian Anderson GUNNING a guy out at the plate in the 8th inning.

The Tampa Bay Rays social media team responded to the tweet saying, "Show the final out." Quality burn.

Miami responded -- taking a shot at Tampa Bay over possible plans for the Rays to become a 2-city team, splitting time between TB and Montreal.

Tampa Bay responded by essentially pointing to the score board ... prompting Miami to send the most savage tweet in MLB history.

"yOU'RE LITERALLY THE ANIMAL THAT KILLED STEVE IRWIN LOG OFF."

Tampa Bay -- which won both games of their 2-game series with Miami -- fired back, "You're literally the team that just got swept, log off."

Of course, Irwin -- aka "The Crocodile Hunter" -- was killed at age 44 when he was pierced in the heart by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary.

He left behind a wife and 2 children.

You stay classy, Miami.

Ex-MLB pitcher Tyrell Jenkins -- a 1st round draft pick in 2010 -- threw crazy haymakers in a huge brawl during a softball game in Texas this week ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

27-year-old Jenkins was a high school superstar who was recruited to play baseball and football at Baylor ... but signed a $1.3 mil contract with the STL Cardinals instead.

He made his MLB debut in 2016 for the Braves ... and kicked around with a few teams before moving back home to coach youth baseball. He's now heavily involved in adult softball.

Fast-forward to Wednesday ... when things got intense between Jenkins' Kekambas and the opposing team, Big Pimpins, in their USA Softball District 25 game when trash talk escalated into an all-out fight.

We're told gloves were thrown, a Big Pimpins player yelled "we're ready to go when you are" ... and the fight broke out within seconds.

You can see 6'4" Jenkins -- in a red shirt -- in the middle of the brawl. It's insane.

We actually spoke with Jenkins who tells us he got involved to defend his teammate ... and only threw punches after an opponent tried to hit him in the head from behind (which was not captured in our video).

Our softball sources tell us Jenkins, along with 3 other players, received a 1-year suspension from the league for their roles in the brawl.

Two other players got 2 years suspensions.

We're told law enforcement was NOT called to the scene ... and the incident was handled internally.

Jenkins has been a MONSTER in Texas softball scene (which is insanely competitive) ... dude hits bombs.

Johnny Damon is sending a huge warning signal to the AL's top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports if the Yankees and Astros let Boston climb into the postseason -- the Sox might just win it all!!!

We got Johnny out in NYC this week and had to ask some baseball questions ... and that's when the 2-time All-Star told us teams NEED to be afraid of the Red Sox's potential.

"If they can somehow get above Tampa and make the playoffs, they're going to be scary," Damon says.

And, if you think Johnny is just blowin' smoke because he's a Sox legend ... he ain't -- he tells us he's still got some bitterness toward the way he left the team after the 2005 season.

"Boston and I, it was a little like a divorce," he says.

Johnny tells us the Red Sox are legit this year ... and if they had actually signed a closer in the offseason, he thinks they'd be much closer to the Yankees in the AL East standings right now.

Still, Damon says he thinks the Astros are the favorite for now ... saying when he watched Justin Verlander pitch earlier this week -- he didn't seem hittable!!!

The creators of the Philadelphia Phillies' famous mascot, the Phanatic, are threatening to take it away from the MLB team ... and now, the Phillies are fighting like hell to keep it.

It's all spelled in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... where the Phillies say back in 1978,  then Exec VP Bill Giles had a vision for a "green, fat, furry, big-nosed" mascot -- and they worked with a design firm called Harrison/Erickson Incorporated to make the Phanatic.

The MLB team says everything went smoothly with the negotiations ... it paid the firm for its work and the character was an immediate success.

In fact, the Phillies say the mascot became SO popular ... they had to renegotiate with Harrison/Erickson in 1984 to keep the mascot "forever" -- paying the company $215,000.

But now, the Phillies say Harrison/Erickson have gone back on that agreement -- arguing the deal wasn't REALLY a forever contract -- and just hit them with a letter threatening to terminate the arrangement.

The Phillies say in the letter, Harrison/Erickson would not allow them to use the Phanatic after June 15, 2020 if they don't renegotiate ... and are even threatening to make the mascot a free agent if the Phils don't fork over cash!!!

Could you imagine the New York Yankees Phanatic?

But, the team is now suing in federal court to try to stop that from happening, claiming Harrison/Erickson has NO legal rights to terminate the "forever" agreement it signed in 1984.

The team also says it owns the rights to the Phanatic just as much as -- if not more than -- Harrison/Erickson ... and wants a judge to intervene.

The Phillies want legal docs stating Harrison/Erickson can't pull the mascot ... and also want any other team that attempts to use it to be punished for it.

Four men who unfurled a Trump 2020 banner at the Orioles game in Baltimore on Thursday were escorted out of the stadium while fans chanted, "Take it down" -- and it was all captured on video.

It all went down in the 8th inning of the Orioles vs. Blue Jays game ... after most of the fans had left Camden Yards because the Blue Jays were beating the hell out of the home team.

The men displayed the "Keep America Great" banner from an upper deck railing behind home plate -- and it hung for about 10 minutes before stadium officials took action.

You can see cops order the men to pull their sign up, which they do -- while basking in the boos from other pissed off fans.

FYI, the Orioles have an anti-banner policy at the stadium ... prohibiting fans from displaying ANY signs during the game -- especially if the team feels the signs are in "bad taste."

The men were eventually escorted out of the stadium -- but they didn't seem to care at all. In fact, it looks like they LOVED the attention.

Of course, Baltimore and President Trump have been in the news all week long ... POTUS called the city a "rodent-infested mess" and opinions from both party lines have gushed in ever since.

Trump supporters like Johnny Damon have said the President ain't wrong, telling TMZ Sports that toward the end of his baseball career, he found the city to be "scarier."

Johnny Damon is going to bat for Donald Trump ... saying toward the end of his baseball career -- he and his teammates were straight-up scared to go out on the town in Baltimore.

Of course, Trump has found himself in hot water this week for comments he made about the Maryland city -- ones in which he called Baltimore a "rodent-infested mess."

Damon says he thinks Trump's choices of words were a little harsh ... but he tells TMZ Sports he agrees with 45 -- saying back when he played in the MLB, he didn't love hitting the road there.

"He's not wrong," Damon says ... "Baltimore was one of the best places to visit when I broke into the league in '95. And, at the end, we didn't really, like, enjoy going back."

Damon -- who's been an outspoken Trump supporter for years -- added, "Towards the end, it started getting a little scarier."

Johnny says Trump's comments will actually HELP the city .. telling us he thinks the criticism should lead to a change in the area.

"I think Baltimore is a great town, and this is raising awareness and hopefully they can go in and spend the hard tax-paying dollars to actually make a difference."

For his part, Trump had a similar sentiment on the situation, saying at the White House earlier this week, "Those people are living in hell in Baltimore. They're largely African-American -- you have a large African-American population -- and they really appreciate what I'm doing and they've let me know it."